How to throw darts (2)

Holding the dart.

If you have watched people play darts in any establishment or on TV then you
will have noticed the grip of the dart varies from player to player and so do
the darts!

There isn’t one dart fits all. So buying an expensive set of darts to start off
with won’t necessarily give you instant success. Finding a dart that suits you
will depend on several factors. Your height and your hand span being two major
factors. Weight of darts varies too and we look at dart options later.

The basic grip of the dart for those of you who have never played before is the
pen grip, i.e. just as you would hold a pen! Variations on this grip will
naturally follow but to start this is the grip you should use.

For new throwers the dart should also be held at the balance. So if you are
using a long barrelled dart hold it over one finger until you find the ideal
holding point. With tear shaped darts this will be nearer the front barrel. The
shaft and flight used will also have an influence on the best hold.

Your grip with naturally develop with play however a starting point helps and
minor adjustments to your natural style will develop from here.

The Throw

I have come to realise that websites and books are totally different things when
it comes to relaying information. On the web viewers tend to want answers
quickly and to the point unlike books and research papers when more in depth
explanations can be warranted. The throw is a basic hand eye co-ordination
however a few principles will help keep the dart true and consistent.

The draw back of the throwing arm should be so the point of the dart is always
drawn straight! If you imagine a line running down though the centre of the
dartboard and along the floor to the centre of the oche line (throw line) then
firstly this is where your lead foot should be. The draw back of the arm / dart
should follow this imaginary line. If you are playing darts at home you might
wish to draw a line to help you or mark the oche throw line to help position
yourself for each throw.

With the arm and dart drawn back you are ready to throw. It is important that
you look directly at the point of the dartboard you wish to hit. With this draw
back the intention is to throw for the twenty threw to three i.e. the centre
part of the board (see diagram)

Either use the treble twenty or the bullseye initially as a practise target. You
should not aim the dart using the full extension of the arm! This is the most
common mistake for beginners. The aim of the dart should be the release point of
the dart. To initially gauge this, the forearm will be vertical (pivotal point).
Adjust your back foot by bringing this nearer or further away from your lead
foot to adjust your height as this will ultimately adjust the throw. You height
will also have a bearing on this. The throw should be swift and the release of
the dart should be at the pivotal point. If you are focusing on the target, the
release point will come naturally. However if you are not then you will lose the
control of the dart and it will drift to the left or right.

Aiming at a small target rather than large will help more than hinder so the
bullseye is a good practise target as well as the treble.

When throwing the dart allow your arm to follow though after you release the
dart just as if you were playing tennis, when you strike a ball with a racket.
If you don’t follow through you remove the power out of the dart and it will
drop quickly.

You should never allow your back foot to come off the ground. This not only
takes the power out of the dart. This also affects your balance and you will
ultimately find it harder to gain a consistently good throw. There are very few
players that have this technique and it is one that I don’t indorse for those
reasons.

Once the dart has landed note where the fall extension of your arm is. If it is
to the left or right on the target then your dart will also be left or right of
the target. Adjust your stance accordingly to straighten the throw. It is
important to give yourself feed back and if observing someone else record what
is working and what is not. A slight adjustment with the throw or stance or
combination of the two will make a major difference when you are throwing at
targets that are relatively small.

Here a demonstration in action

The photo here is to show the dart and eye alignment. This photo show the Aim ,
the point of release and as you see the dart is in line with the eye line. The
player slightly lent forward i.e. weight on the lead foot. This player was
relatively new to darts by with a short period of coaching and feedback the
darts were flying true and a fun evening was had by all.

Remember darts should be fun so enjoy the sport. However it is always worth
putting in the practise if you want to play better.

My Thanks for my sister Susan and brother-in-law for posing for the photographs
here. As you see we all had a bit of fun.

For more information about how you can improve your game have a look at the
practice routines I have on my site. This section of the site is viewed by
thousands of viewers and the 180 around the clock! practise / game has proved a
bit hit. I have seen seen several postings on forums about this practise routine
and you will even find postings on YouTube.

To review the darts you use, see the sections on dart barrels, shafts and
flights.